Help Save Vanessa
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Vanessa is a beautiful dog who was found abandoned in the City of Rochester with a broken leg. She quickly became a favorite at the local shelter. During her tenure at the shelter a local non-profit and shelter volunteers raised over $7,000 to pay for the complicated surgery to repair Vanessa’s leg. After fostering Vanessa at his home during her surgery to repair her leg, and a resultant 5-month recovery period while in a cast, Vanessa was adopted by her dad Jeremy into a very loving home where she has lived for almost four years. Vanessa loves her walks, rolling in the grass, time on the couch with her dad, playing with her dog brother Loki and hiding from the family cats.
Since July 7th Vanessa's family, friends and many supporters have been fighting for her life. While on a walk on leash that day with her dog brother Loki, a neighbor jogging ran up in close proximity to the dogs. Apparently startled by the dogs, she panicked, turned, and ran into a mailbox. Upon hitting the mailbox, the jogger fell to the ground in front of the dogs, and began flailing her legs, kicking at the dogs and screaming in a frenzy, at which time an apparent bite occurred. The jogger subsequently got up from the ground and ran off. Following the incident, the jogger and her personal injury attorney husband chose to press “dangerous dog” charges. Vanessa was initially allowed to stay at home with Jeremy while things got sorted out in court; however, upon hearing that Vanessa was home, the jogger's lawyer husband, who is also a member on the Town of Ogden Zoning Board, petitioned his peers at the Town of Ogden (i.e., the Town Prosecutor and the Town Judge) to have Vanessa seized from her home. Vanessa was seized from her home and brought to a kennel in the Town of Sweden (contracted by the Town of Ogden) where she remained in a 3 x 8 foot cage for four weeks. While there she was not once removed from her kennel for a walk or exercise or any sort of mental stimulation or humane contact. She suffered physically and mentally there without her thyroid and medication for recurring yeast in her ears, insufficient air quality in brutal summer temperatures, her kennel was hosed down for cleaning while she was in it, and she was confined in an environment unsuitable for life. Vanessa’s family was prevented from visiting her and petitioned the judge to have her visited by a veterinarian. Her veterinarian reported Vanessa had multiple sores on both of her back ankles and toes from the hard surface (concrete) she is laying on. Her muscles on her hind legs are experiencing atrophy due to lack of movement, her ears are red due to allergic skin disease with no baths and routine care that her owner would give her. She is stiff and sore orthopedically due to her confinement and lack of exercise allowed.
A Court hearing in the Town of Ogden was held on July 10, 2020 during which Jeremy's attorney immediately requested a change of venue due to the jogger’s husband's affiliation with the Ogden Zoning Board and relationship to the Town. The Judge denied the change in venue even though there was a blatant conflict of interest. Following a court proceeding in front of a courthouse packed with supporters for Vanessa and her family, Vanessa was unfoundedly sentenced to death by the Judge with the joggers husband and Town of Ogden Animal Control officer fist bumping in celebration in front of the devastated family after the verdict was read.
The true colors of this jogger’s family have continued to emerge. In addition to the “dangerous dog” charges, they have filed a civil lawsuit against Jeremy suing for “negligence”. Apparently in their version of reality walking dogs while on leash is negligent.
Jeremy's attorney has appealed Vanessa's case to a higher Court. Jeremy, who lives on a ten acre parcel, swore under oath in Court that he would take all measures necessary to keep Vanessa and surrounding community comfortable safe and secure, by putting up fencing, walking her only on his own property on leash while muzzled, and enrolling her in behavior training; all corrective actions allowed by NYS law.
The Sweden kennel was permanently closed and the animal control officer resigned after a Humane Society investigation was initiated based on Vanessa's abhorrent health and kennel condition while in the Town of Ogden’s custody. However, Vanessa still remains in kennel confinement today (albeit at a different facility). She has been confined without being released from her enclosure for over 3-months, remaining in solitary confinement and not being released from her cage because she was deemed “dangerous” by the Town of Ogden Court. She has been provided no visitation rights from her family since she was seized on July 7th. With the countless delays and stalling by the Town of Ogden Court system to draw out the ultimate prevalence of justice, mounting legal fees while an appeal to a higher court is prepared, and Jeremy being responsible for Vanessa's medical fees and boarding while housed inhumanely by the Town of Ogden the costs continue to add up.
Vanessa is greatly loved by her father Jeremy, his family and friends, and is an emotional support dog for a disabled young man who lives in a group home (who has suffered several seizures since she has been removed from him). She is the center of a family that have been struggling since she has been away.
Vanessa is not just the family pet but has the temperament of an old gentle soul who after all she has been through and now her mistreatment at the hands of the Town of Ogden deserves to live in peace. She deserves to return to her family where she gives and receives so much love and happiness. Please donate for the fight to support not only Vanessa but for the continued fight that we are carrying on for other dogs in the Town of Ogden that have no voice of their own.
Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests were recently submitted by a third party to the surrounding Towns of Greece, Chili, Gates and Ogden to provide records of Court ordered euthanasia based on dangerous dog proceedings over the previous three-year period (2018, 2019, 2020). The results for each Town Court were as follows:
a. Greece – est. population of 96,000 number of Court ordered euthanasia 0
b. Chili – est. population of 28,000 number of Court ordered euthanasia 0
c. Gates – est. population of 28,000 number of Court ordered euthanasia 1
d. Ogden – est. population of 20,000 number of Court ordered euthanasia 4
As the data indicates, we were hard pressed to find any local Town Court outside of Ogden that issued a Court ordered euthanasia in the last three years, yet Ogden had four (including Vanessa) over that same time period. The dog in Gates was issued a euthanasia order after biting on three separate occasions. Why does three neighboring Towns with a combined population of approx. 152,000 issue 1 order of euthanasia (for a dog that bit three times) and Ogden with a population of 20,000 issues 4 orders for euthanasia over the same time period? What is going on in the Town of Ogden Justice Court?
Since July 7th Vanessa's family, friends and many supporters have been fighting for her life. While on a walk on leash that day with her dog brother Loki, a neighbor jogging ran up in close proximity to the dogs. Apparently startled by the dogs, she panicked, turned, and ran into a mailbox. Upon hitting the mailbox, the jogger fell to the ground in front of the dogs, and began flailing her legs, kicking at the dogs and screaming in a frenzy, at which time an apparent bite occurred. The jogger subsequently got up from the ground and ran off. Following the incident, the jogger and her personal injury attorney husband chose to press “dangerous dog” charges. Vanessa was initially allowed to stay at home with Jeremy while things got sorted out in court; however, upon hearing that Vanessa was home, the jogger's lawyer husband, who is also a member on the Town of Ogden Zoning Board, petitioned his peers at the Town of Ogden (i.e., the Town Prosecutor and the Town Judge) to have Vanessa seized from her home. Vanessa was seized from her home and brought to a kennel in the Town of Sweden (contracted by the Town of Ogden) where she remained in a 3 x 8 foot cage for four weeks. While there she was not once removed from her kennel for a walk or exercise or any sort of mental stimulation or humane contact. She suffered physically and mentally there without her thyroid and medication for recurring yeast in her ears, insufficient air quality in brutal summer temperatures, her kennel was hosed down for cleaning while she was in it, and she was confined in an environment unsuitable for life. Vanessa’s family was prevented from visiting her and petitioned the judge to have her visited by a veterinarian. Her veterinarian reported Vanessa had multiple sores on both of her back ankles and toes from the hard surface (concrete) she is laying on. Her muscles on her hind legs are experiencing atrophy due to lack of movement, her ears are red due to allergic skin disease with no baths and routine care that her owner would give her. She is stiff and sore orthopedically due to her confinement and lack of exercise allowed.
A Court hearing in the Town of Ogden was held on July 10, 2020 during which Jeremy's attorney immediately requested a change of venue due to the jogger’s husband's affiliation with the Ogden Zoning Board and relationship to the Town. The Judge denied the change in venue even though there was a blatant conflict of interest. Following a court proceeding in front of a courthouse packed with supporters for Vanessa and her family, Vanessa was unfoundedly sentenced to death by the Judge with the joggers husband and Town of Ogden Animal Control officer fist bumping in celebration in front of the devastated family after the verdict was read.
The true colors of this jogger’s family have continued to emerge. In addition to the “dangerous dog” charges, they have filed a civil lawsuit against Jeremy suing for “negligence”. Apparently in their version of reality walking dogs while on leash is negligent.
Jeremy's attorney has appealed Vanessa's case to a higher Court. Jeremy, who lives on a ten acre parcel, swore under oath in Court that he would take all measures necessary to keep Vanessa and surrounding community comfortable safe and secure, by putting up fencing, walking her only on his own property on leash while muzzled, and enrolling her in behavior training; all corrective actions allowed by NYS law.
The Sweden kennel was permanently closed and the animal control officer resigned after a Humane Society investigation was initiated based on Vanessa's abhorrent health and kennel condition while in the Town of Ogden’s custody. However, Vanessa still remains in kennel confinement today (albeit at a different facility). She has been confined without being released from her enclosure for over 3-months, remaining in solitary confinement and not being released from her cage because she was deemed “dangerous” by the Town of Ogden Court. She has been provided no visitation rights from her family since she was seized on July 7th. With the countless delays and stalling by the Town of Ogden Court system to draw out the ultimate prevalence of justice, mounting legal fees while an appeal to a higher court is prepared, and Jeremy being responsible for Vanessa's medical fees and boarding while housed inhumanely by the Town of Ogden the costs continue to add up.
Vanessa is greatly loved by her father Jeremy, his family and friends, and is an emotional support dog for a disabled young man who lives in a group home (who has suffered several seizures since she has been removed from him). She is the center of a family that have been struggling since she has been away.
Vanessa is not just the family pet but has the temperament of an old gentle soul who after all she has been through and now her mistreatment at the hands of the Town of Ogden deserves to live in peace. She deserves to return to her family where she gives and receives so much love and happiness. Please donate for the fight to support not only Vanessa but for the continued fight that we are carrying on for other dogs in the Town of Ogden that have no voice of their own.
Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests were recently submitted by a third party to the surrounding Towns of Greece, Chili, Gates and Ogden to provide records of Court ordered euthanasia based on dangerous dog proceedings over the previous three-year period (2018, 2019, 2020). The results for each Town Court were as follows:
a. Greece – est. population of 96,000 number of Court ordered euthanasia 0
b. Chili – est. population of 28,000 number of Court ordered euthanasia 0
c. Gates – est. population of 28,000 number of Court ordered euthanasia 1
d. Ogden – est. population of 20,000 number of Court ordered euthanasia 4
As the data indicates, we were hard pressed to find any local Town Court outside of Ogden that issued a Court ordered euthanasia in the last three years, yet Ogden had four (including Vanessa) over that same time period. The dog in Gates was issued a euthanasia order after biting on three separate occasions. Why does three neighboring Towns with a combined population of approx. 152,000 issue 1 order of euthanasia (for a dog that bit three times) and Ogden with a population of 20,000 issues 4 orders for euthanasia over the same time period? What is going on in the Town of Ogden Justice Court?
Organizer
Justice For Vanessa
Organizer
Spencerport, NY
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